Rise of Harmony
by fairiegirl2992
Summary: Equestria was a very different place when Celestia and Luna were young. Discord begins his first reign of terror, and ponykind's only hope rests in the two young princesses, who must find the Elements before it's too late. there's just one problem: Starswirl never did explain what these "Elements" are, or where to look for them.
1. Royal Family Outing

Hello, everypony! Just a few author's notes before we get started. There's something about Celestia's and Luna's relationship that just really makes me think. I couldn't stop thinking about what their lives were like before we all met them. But something that wouldn't leave me alone is the thought that Celestia changed her name. Her real name was Aurora. And then this whole dynamic came about of her being the Princess of the Dawn while Luna was the Princess of the Night. Despite the fact that we haven't seen much of the sisters' relationship on the show, the way the show is written and drawn shows that there is a **lot **of stuff that the princesses aren't telling us. But it is there, and I had to tell the story. The story of how the Royal Pony sisters took down Discord.

Please feel free to leave a comment/review! Imagine me, rocketing into the sky, streaming pure joyness. That's how reviews make me feel.

A word about season 3: This story is pretty much set in stone. Only if what occurs in season 3 is COMPLETLEY AND UTTERLY STORY CHANGING will I do serious changes. For now, the most you can expect is a mention, if the princesses' past are brought up in season 3. Please DO NOT leave spoilers (of my story or season 3) in the reviews. Let everyone discover the joy themselves.

* * *

A young alicorn bounced up the dirt road, her periwinkle mane flopping in and out of her face as she did so. She stopped at the top of a hill, and turned back to her family.

"Mother! Father! Aurora! Hurry up!" she called. "We have to get to Canterlot before it's time for me to raise the moon! I told Grandpa Castor that I'd raise the moon for him next time we visit!"

"We're coming, Luna," Aurora called to her sister. "But we can't act like silly fillies in Canterlot. You know that." She caught up to Luna. The pair stared over at the shining castle on the side of the mountain.

Luna sighed. "Yes, I know. Grandma Pleione reminds me every time I walk through the castle doors. 'Princess Luna, thou must speakest in the traditional way, else thy subjects will never respect thee.'"

"I don't like the royal speaking voice…"

"You mean, WE DISLIKE THE TRADTIONAL CANTERLOT VOICE!"

The sisters began laughing. But Aurora stopped long before Luna quieted her giggles. She looked down at the dirt road, and began digging a hole with her hoof, hiding under her pink mane.

"Rora, what's wrong?" Luna asked, getting in Aurora's line of vision.

"Nothing," Aurora said too quickly.

As Luna raised a skeptical eyebrow, their parents caught up.

"Remember," their mother said, unfurling her wings, "you both must be on your best behavior. I know at home we act...casual compared to what your grandparents think we should, but remember, you both are royalty."

"We're the Royal Pony Sisters," Aurora and Luna said wearily. Neither of them liked this nickname most everypony in Equestria had given to them.

"That's right. Never forget that."

Just before they took off for their flight to Canterlot, Aurora turned to her father. "Father, how come we can't be friends with our subjects?"

"Why should we be, Aurora?" he slowly pulled his wings back in, looking at his daughter solemnly. "Aurora, we will live longer than anypony in existence. What good is it to make friends with ponies who will die in, compared to our lifetime, an instant?"

"We're going to live forever?" Luna started shaking. "I don't want to live forever! I'd rather die!"

"Now, girls, we will die eventually. Nothing is eternal, except the earth, the skies, the stars, the sun and moon. The earth ponies take care of the earth; the pegasi the skies; the unicorns assist both of the parties, and we take care of the rest. Before too long, you will find a gentlecolt of an alicorn and you will have your own children. By that time, your grandparents will have passed on, and you will probably have to teach them the power of the stars. They will teach their children the sun and moon, and so on in a never ending cycle. In that way, they will always have a steward over them. Do you understand, girls?"

Luna nodded astutely and took off into the sky, following her mother. Aurora stared at her father. "I don't understand, Papa."

"Aurora, you must understand. You will be ruler of Equestria one day. Perhaps you should spend some time with your grandmother Asterope. She's well versed in history."

"Alright."

He brought her into a hug. "I know it's a lot to take in, right now. But I know you will be able to understand, Aurora."

Aurora took off after her mother and sister, leaving her father to bring up the rear end of their band of four, his dark brown tail streaming behind him.

* * *

I had a lot of fun picking out names for the other alicorns.


	2. The Kings and Queens of Equestria

"Kings Castor and Pollux, and Queens Pleione and Asterope, rulers of Equestria, welcome Prince Atlas and Princess Alcyone, and their daughters Aurora and Luna!" someone announced. With a loud fanfare, the Royal Pony Sisters, followed by their parents, walked down the long red carpet in the throne room. On the four thrones sat their grandparents.

Castor was a magnificent golden alicorn, with a long brown mane behind him, one his son had inherited. He had a beard that curled slightly at the ends, to the endless delight of Luna, who would often toy with grandfather's beard. On this flank, his Royal Mark, a golden crown.

Pollux was grey in color, with a silver mane flowing freely; his eyes were as blue as the sky. They were known to be the most piercing eyes in Equestria, and very few dared to contradict him. Yet Aurora knew that his eyes were also the most gentle she had ever known. His Royal Mark was a silver crown, a match to his twin's.

They rose, unfurling their wings in unison. Had they not been accustomed to this, Luna and Aurora would have been petrified with fear. "Welcome, Atlas and Alcyone. We have missed your presence in the court." Their voices rumbled throughout the hall, shaking the very heavens.

The Royal Pony family kneeled before the Kings. "We are honored to by thy guests," Atlas said. "Father, it is good to see thee."

"Come, let us retreat to our private study," Castor gestured to his left with his hoof, rising from the throne. We have much to speak about."

The pegasus guards snapped to attention as the entire Royal Family passed through the doors into the study. It was a dark room, filled with shelves of books. The second the door was shut, Pleione lit the laterns all along the walls and the fire place. Her blue mane and tail seemed to be more vibrant than usual.

"Thank goodness," Aurora said under her breath.

"Grandpa!" Luna squealed, bouncing around Castor. "Watch me raise the moon!"

"Alright, calm down little one," Castor said with a smile.

"Come on, Rory! You have to lower the sun!"

With a silver glow, Pollux's horn glowed, parting a bookcase, revealing the private balcony. Luna ran to the edge, putting her front hooves over the edge, tail twitching with excitement. Aurora trotted over, giving her sister a reassuring a smile. Though Luna had been doing fine at raising the moon for two weeks, Aurora was ready on standby, just in case Luna got nervous being on the spot.

The two took off into the air, horns glowing. Aurora watched the sun sink away slowly, as out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Luna rose higher, raising the moon. The moon came up over the horizon, filling Equestria with a gentle silver light. The stars started to appear as Aurora landed back on the balcony.

Luna sailed downwards, trotting to a halt, beaming from ear to ear. "Did you see?!"

Castor nodded in approval, a rare smile appearing across his face. "Well, done, Luna."

Pollux turned to Altas and Alcyone. "You have trained her well. I have not seen such a moon rising well done in ages."

Atlas nodded. "It was not an easy task. In order to be done properly, the sun must go down as the moon rises. It took lot of practice among Aurora and Luna to achieve the balance they have now."

"And Rora and I are gonna do it now everyday!" Luna said, trotting happily back into the study.

"Luna," Asterope said sternly, her purple wings filling the room. "You must not refer to your sister so casually."

"But it's what we do all the time at home!"

"You would not call your subjects by such…common names, would you?"

"Speaking of which," Pleione said, sitting by the fireplace, a book held in the air with magic. "there have been rumors that some of our subjects are developing Royal Marks of their own."

"But that's impossible! Only the Royal Family have such marks upon them."

Aurora suddenly smiled. "Yes, apparently all ponies have these marks-" she glanced at her own, smiling as she remembered her first dawn-"and they call them…Cutie Marks."

Asterope scoffed. "How they dare give such a dignified thing such a common name."

"Grandmother, why should we be the only ones who have a special mark showing our talents? Don't ponies, all ponies, deserve a chance to show their talents to each other?"

"The Royal Mark has been a Royal tradition since Equestria was made."

"How was Equestria made? Father said I should ask you about Equestria's history."

Sighing, Asterope looked downcast. "That is a story not for here. Follow me, Aurora."

"Can I come too?!" Luna piped in, smiling. "I wanna hear about Equestria too!"

"No, my dear. This story…" Asterope bit her lip. "is not for young fillies."

"But I'm not a filly anymore! Mother said when I got my Cutie Mark-"

"_Royal _Mark. And don't shout. It's most unbecoming."

"-that I would be all grown up."

"Some other time, Luna. It wearies me to tell the tale more than once."

"But-!"

The secret passage opened back into the throne room. The moonlight filtered through the stained glass window, giving the colors a softer, silvery tone. Aurora followed her grandmother into the silvery light.

"Guards," Asterope ordered. "There is business that must be attended to in the gardens."

"But your majesty-"

"We have spoken to thou our request. We need not repeat ourselves."

With that, the guards shuffled out the door one at a time. A new recruit (Aurora could tell by the way he kept adjusting his armor) tripped and stumbled right at her hooves.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness," came a mumbled moan.

Aurora knelt down and helped the young pegasus up. "It's quite alright. What is thy name?"

"Firespark, your Highness."

"BE GONE!" Asterope thundered.

The colt leapt into the air and flew out the door. Asterope sealed the door with magic so that no pony could enter until she removed the spell.

"Grandmother!" Aurora stomped a hoof in frustration. "I was talking to him!"

"You do not have time to address your subjects so casually. He was delaying us from our task."

"Just because he was making you have to wait for something doesn't mean you have to be so mean to him!"

Aurora flew into the air, suspended by her grandmother's magic. She kicked her hooves desperately, tried to unfurl her winds and fly away, but the magic kept them glued to her sides. Asterope glared at her, golden eyes burning with rage. "That is quite enough from you! You will either accept my instruction or you will not! And you will certainly show _me_ respect!"

"Rora!" Luna darted into the throne room, saw what was happening, and stared at her grandmother with pleading eyes. "Grandma, what are you doing?!"

Without breaking the spell keeping Aurora levitated, Asterope turned to Luna. "I am teaching your sister some respect! Heaven knows your sister needs some!"

"You can't do that to her!"

"Luna, this isn't-"

"It is too my concern! That's _my_ big sister you're holding up there! And no one, _no one_ hurts _my sister!_"

Horn glowing a soft lavender, Luna stood against her grandmother, trying to focus her magic.

"Luna, you will not be able to break my enchantment. I have years of experience over y-"

A lavender beam shot from Luna's horn, striking Aurora. Aurora felt the pressure lift from her wings, and she was able to land lightly on the throne room floor. "Luna! You did it!"

Beaming with pride, Luna suddenly slumped to the ground.

"Luna!" Pushing Asterope aside, Aurora rushed to her sister, kneeling on all fours beside her.

"I'm alright…"

"You almost fainted…"

Stunned Asterope bowed her head. "You have proven yourself most worthy, Luna, of the story of Equestria."

Luna stood slowly, legs shaking, and panting. "Don't you _ever_ try to harm my sister again."

Aurora stepped in front of her, lowering her head in shame. "Grandmother, I most humbly request you give me and Luna the history of Equestria."

Atlas and Alcyone were watching nervously from the study. This was the first time that Luna and Aurora had openly defied their grandparents. They could feel the stares of Castor, Pollux and Pleione burning into their backsides. The air began to spark with magic as the elderly alicorns readied themselves for a fight.

Asterope's horn glowed blue, and a secret passage way opened, leading below the thrones. Luna's eyes widened in glee, as she almost dashed down the stairs. It was only Aurora's timely hoof that stopped her from taking off ahead of their grandmother. Asterope trotted into the darkness, her horn lighting the way. Aurora followed second, keeping herself between her grandmother and Luna. _No one will ever hurt you, Luna._


	3. The Other Half of Hearth's Warming

As they entered into the secret room below the throne room, Aurora noticed markings on the wall. She leaned in closer, using her own horn to provide the light. The pink light revealed a roughly drawn sketch of ponies, and what looked like a mountain.

"Come along," Asterope urged.

Luna popped beside Aurora, seeing what it was her sister was looking at before trotting off after her grandmother. Aurora reluctantly followed, worried that her grandmother would skirt around the topic like she had done before with her poise lesson.

The alicorns reached a large circular room, Asterope's horn casting everything in a blue light. The light grew brighter until Aurora and Luna had to shield their eyes from the brightness. On the floor where Asterope stood was a sapphire cut into a perfect circle. It began to glow with a blue light and it spread across the floor. It snaked its way up onto the walls, revealing detailed pictures of ponies. It was as if life itself was being breathed into the ponies.

Luna let out a gasp of awe while Aurora felt her jaw drop at the majesty of this.

"Our story begins not long ago," Asterope began, kneeling down. Luna scampered over and plopped down next to her, snuggling into her. "Long before you were born, there was no Equestria. There were two kingdoms, quite far from each other. One held the alicorns, the other, the rest of the ponies.

"How much do you know about the history of the other ponies?"

"Not much," Luna confessed. "Except that they came here from far away and made friends and founded Equestria."

"You have the abridged version, Luna. The one that the ponies do every year for Hearth's Warming Eve. But, I will summarize so that you understand a little more.

"The Windigos prowl the skies, hoping that they'll find those with hatred in their hearts. In the Alicorn Kingdom, things were well because there were no differences among our kind. In the Pony Kingdom, however, the three types of ponies had a tense relationship. While today it works well, back then, it was a strenuous system at best. The pegasi had a strict, militaristic form of government, yet they had to answer to the Unicorn King for the weather. The King was picky and changed his mind frequently, causing strife among the unicorns and pegasi.

"At the time, the unicorns had to band together to raise and lower the sun and moon. It was a taxing magic on them, and though they were the most powerful ponies, they could do nothing without the food the earth ponies grew."

Aurora finally knelt down, gently tapping the sapphire with one hoof. "Why do the earth ponies always seem to be picked on the most?"

Sighing, Asterope looked her in the eyes. "When somepony has something you don't have, you become resentful. Likewise, when somepony lacks what you have, it's easy to become prideful. The pegasi considered themselves above everypony else. They believed that whoever controlled the weather should be the ruling ponies.

"In a similar vein, the unicorns believed whoever had the magic should be the rulers, and, at the time, they were. It's hard to contend with somepony when they have an arsenal of magic against you.

"As for the earth ponies," Asterope gestured to a picture of a yellow earth pony, rearing on her hindhooves, "they have an innate magic. No plant will grow the way it will for an earth pony. They understand the earth, which is how they got their names, but more importantly, because of this connection, the plants understand the ponies, in a way. This is why your father is the overseer of the earth ponies; your mother over the pegasi. Their magic…is almost designed for that purpose. Which also leads to unicorns helping both parties, since we took over the sun and moon from them."

"Papa did say something about being stewards over the ponies," Luna said. "But what about Cut-I mean-Royal Marks?"

"The alicorns were the first to have a mark upon their flanks to distinguish to the world what their talents were. It was when a pony discovered their magical talent that a mark would appear."

"Wait! What about the Windigos?" Luna shivered involuntary.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Luna. With the Pony Kingdom in a state of such chaos and distrust, the Windigos were provided with a feast the likes of which haven't been seen since. Their power grew until it began to snow uncontrollably. But this, you already know. As well as how this part of the tale ends.

"When the leaders of the pony tribes settled Equestria, they went back to gather their weary subjects and brought them here. They held a huge meeting among them, and they tried to decide who would be the rulers of this new land. They figured having one leader would help untie the tribes further, especially since some were less willing to forgive the past than others.

"The Windigos having been driven out of Equestria, they searched for anywhere that hatred could be. That was when they found us."

Luna and Aurora slowly both had been rising from the floor, and now both were standing. "You mean," Aurora asked, hooves trembling, "you've_ seen_ a Windigo?!"

Asterope nodded gravely. "Many of them. At the time, we were trying to create something that represented unity of all the creatures that live in our wide world. But we gave the creature too much power, and its rampant reign of chaos sparked hatred in our hearts. It was insane how much hatred seemed to pour out of everypony. The first hate is the strongest, they say. We were unsure how much of the damage was from other alicorns acting out…or the creature's own doing.

"The Windigos were starving at this point, and even the faintest bit of hate attracted them. Our hatred was like a beacon to them. They flew in a flurry, chasing down alicorns and freezing them in their tracks.

"We knew we had to get out, but Castor wouldn't leave his family behind. We ran to Pollux's home, got them, and made our way to the boundaries of the city wall. That was when the Windigos cornered us. It was the coldest I've ever been, because the cold was coming from…inside." Asterope pointed her hoof at her heart, bowing her head lower. "I didn't want to hate, I didn't want to die. I just wanted us all to get out together…

"That was when our parents, and any remaining alicorns flew to our protection. They threw themselves onto the Windigos, trying to buy us time. A break in the freezing clouds appeared, because the Windigos do not understand sacrifice. That pure love was enough for all of us to escape them before the Alicorn Kingdom froze forever."

"Forever?" Luna repeated solemnly.

"Didn't any other alicorns get out?" Aurora had now scooted by her sister and grandmother, the faintest whisperings of a chill spreading through her body.

"We don't know." Asterope stared up the stairs, though Aurora suspected she was staring to the stars. "If any other alicorns are out there, they've done a good job of hiding themselves.

"As for us, we flew until we could no longer feel the cold. I remember, it was night, and it was the first time in a long time I felt warm. We slept in a meadow. There were flowers of every color everywhere…

"When the sun rose, we started flying again until we spotted smoke rising from ground. In the hopes it might be more of our kind, we descended from the skies."

"And then what?!" Luna jumped upright.

"And that was when the other ponies discovered us. They all knelt on the ground, as though we were gods. After the four of us became Kings and Queens over Equestria, the original leaders of the clans took us aside and explained that we were the answer to their problem. They didn't want the Windigos to return just as much as we did. Yet they needed a leader over all the ponies that they could report to. A leader that would represent each race equally. As alicorns, we have unicorn horns, and pegasi wings, and a deep understanding of the earth, like the earth ponies. Agreeing that our union would ensure the Windigos would stay out of Equestria forever, we accepted the post.

"The leaders took us to the cave where Friendship's Fire was. We agreed that it must be kept safe, so that nothing would harm it. To hide it, we built a magnificent castle on the mountain side-"

"Canterlot!" the Pony Sisters squealed in unison.

"Yes, Canterlot."

"But where's Friendships Fire?" Aurora asked.

Asterope lowered her horn, glowing with magic, to the sapphire on the floor. The sapphire turned a bright yellow, spreading the light across the floor like before. However, the walls began to shudder, and the one directly behind the alicorns began to recede backwards. With several thuds that shook the room, stairs began to appear down the black hallway. As the last stair thudded into place, a soft pink pulsing light filled the hallway. Asterope lead the way, holding her head high.

Aurora followed in awe, feeling a warming from both her heart, and the hallway. Luna was right behind her, grinning widely. She stopped and pointed at the wall. "Rory, look!"

Glancing over her shoulder, Luna looked at picture her sister was fascinated by. It was a picture of six ponies, two of each kind, gathered around a giant flaming heart. "The original leaders," Asterope said without looking. "Their deeds forever immortalized in stone."

"Wow," Luna breathed.

At last, they reached a bare room where the pink light was coming from. There, in the middle of the room, high above the alicorns, was Friendship's Fire. The flame pulsated with the heart of ponies; the faintest sound of laughter could be heard as the heart beat.

"This is amazing," Aurora said, coming closer. "It's…beautiful." She extended her hoof to Luna and pulled her into a hug. "I love you."


	4. A Hint of Chaos

Luna shifted slightly on her father's back, snuggling in closer to him as they flew back home, completely exhausted from a long day of being a princess. Aurora wished she could share in Luna's relaxation, like she did when she was a filly. But her parents insisted that she fly herself since she was much older than Luna. She flapped her wings, gaining altitude. She broke through the layer of clouds that were going to be gone by morning. She sat on the soft cloud, staring at the thousands of stars dancing far away.

A rustle of wings alerted that somepony had joined her. Alcyone sat next to her daughter, gazing at the stars. For a while, they were silent, enjoying each other's presence. Finally, Alcyone spoke. "Something on your mind, sunshine?"

"It's just…am I going to be the sole ruler of Equestria? I don't know if I'm ready to rule over everypony," Aurora admitted reluctantly. "I'd rather rule with Luna. She…she understands me best."

"I'm glad you have such a bond with your sister. It means your father and I are raising you well. But your father and I will rule before you will, dear."

"You will?"

"In the future, when your grandparents pass away, we will take over the throne. And then, when we pass away, you and Luna will rule."

"When will that be?"

Alcyone laughed. "Not for a long while, sunshine."

"Will Starswirl still be around?" Aurora's question slipped out before she could stop herself.

Alcyone took a long look at the stars. "I don't know. I don't know how he's lived this long, either. He was already fairly old when the ponies came here." A smile spread across her face. "He was old when I was born."

Aurora laughed, but only slightly. "I hope he's around when I become the ruler of Equestria, at least. He'll know how to lead."

"But your grandparents will teach you. So will we."

Atlas burst through the clouds, Luna still asleep on his back. He trotted over to his family. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

Snuggling into her father, Aurora nodded.

"Luna…" Atlas gently nudged his daughter.

"Mmm…whatizit?" Luna mumbled sleepily.

"Look at the stars…"

Luna sat up a little, and stared at the heavens. She slid of Atlas's back and went next to Aurora, and promptly fell back asleep.

"We should get going," Alcyone said, rising and trotting away. "They have their magic lessons from Starswirl tomorrow, and I don't want them late."

"Alright," Atlas said with a chuckle, "but you're going to have to help me."

Confused, Alcyone turned back. Luna and Aurora were fast asleep, each snuggled into each other. Atlas took Aurora while Alcyone positioned Aurora so that she wouldn't fall off during their flight home. Atlas did the same for Alcyone as she placed Luna on her back.

Aurora was only vaguely aware of the wind blowing through her mane. She felt that she was flying, but her wings weren't moving. It was a lovely feeling. If this was a dream, she would stay here forever: with her father, mother and sister, soaring through the night sky.

* * *

He had to be close. Despite the thousands of other ponies clogging his senses, he knew the alicorn smell from miles away. He had tracked them here, through the endless years, through the frozen wasteland that once was his home. No…their home. He didn't know what a home was, only that it was a place that he was excluded from. He snaked his way through the trees, the scent getting stronger.

The air whooshed overhead, and for the first time in ages, he caught a full whiff of alicorn. It took what little self-control he had to not rush out and confront them. He would watch. He would wait. Yes, waiting would be much better. Nothing like knowing the whole story…

It was a family of four alicorns. The father was dark green with a brown mane and tail. He had a white alicorn, pink mane obscuring her face, fast asleep on his back. The mother was a sky blue with a yellow and white striped mane. On her back was a smaller alicorn, a light indigo with a periwinkle mane.

As they trotted deeper into the woods, he smiled. "Sleep well, ponies. This peace and quiet is about to end."


	5. The Dragon's Egg

Aurora snapped awake. Since she had begun raising the sun, she had developed a special connection to it. She could sense when it was time for the sun to come up, a sort of tugging inside, as if the sun was awaiting her call. She walked down the hall to Luna's room. She was still fast asleep, breathing heavily.

"Luna," Aurora said, nudging her gently. "Luna, we have to raise the sun now."

Luna rolled over and mumbled, "I want…chicken eggs…"

"Luna!" It was impossible to stifle a giggle at Luna's absurd request. "Luna, wake up!"

Her eyes opened slowly, yawning and stretching. "Morning comes too soon…"

"Come on, silly."

The two took a left after Luna's room and headed up the stairs to their balcony. The forest surrounded them. Aurora inhaled sharply. The cool air had a sweet scent, and a slight taste of promise. "Ready, little sister?" she asked Luna.

Propping her hoofs over the balcony like she had done last night, Luna gazed over the forest. She too took a deep breath. "Yes."

They took off together, Luna stopping part of the way up. Aurora felt the sun, rising with her. A few more flaps and it would be over the horizon. She closed her eyes, feeling the light and warmth beginning to creep from the sun into her. She reached the peak of her flight, and the sun lit up the world.

She heard her sister give a great cry of "Ooh!" Aurora opened her eyes, and noticed the dew on the grass and several branches. The light touched the dew drops and the sun created thousands of miniature rainbows everywhere. Everything sparkled.

As she landed, Luna trotted up to her, eyes wide with glee. "I wish I could do that!"

Aurora gave a shy smile. "I didn't do anything, Luna. The sun did all that. And the dew happens when…actually, I don't know how dew happens!"

The two started giggling, which turned into loud laughter. Luna fell over in a fit of giggles and Aurora sank to her knees, not even knowing why she was laughing so hard.

"Having a good time, girls?" Alcyone asked with a smile.

Aurora and Luna nodded, still giggling.

"Well, come down for breakfast. You have your lessons with Starswirl today, and I don't want you late."

Aurora and Luna followed their mother down the spiral staircase, down the long hallway to the dining room. Atlas sat at the head, levitating a stalk of celery to his mouth. He paused as his wife and daughters enter into the room. "Hello, ladies."

Alcyone blushed slightly, her wings fluttering in slight embarrassment. Luna beamed proudly and trotted as properly as she could to her place.

"Beautiful sunrise, Aurora," Altas said.

"Thank you, Papa." Aurora levitated a large carrot and took a dainty bite.

"Remember to finish your alfalfa, girls," Alcyone said idly as she prepared to eat a large apple.

Luna and Aurora shared a look of complete disgust. The two shuffled their food around, eating bits and pieces of hay, apples, and celery until there was nothing but the alfalfa left. Aurora stared at the green leaves, trying to figure out the best way to not eat it. She glanced up at Luna, who suddenly winked at her. Aurora nodded, their parents completely absorbed in their breakfast.

"Look!" Aurora gasped, pointing her hoof out the window just behind her parents. As they turned to look, she and Luna took off down the hall, giggling with their success at getting out of eating alfalfa. They both gasped as they face-planted onto the stone floor, their tails levitated in the air.

"Girls," Atlas scolded.

They both gave a sigh of defeat. "Fine."

Their tails were released and they shamefully trotted back to their spots at the table. Aurora struggled to swallow the alfalfa. It left a sour aftertaste in her mouth. She suddenly wished she had eaten this first so she could get the taste out of her mouth with an apple, or even some grass. At last, her plate was clean, and her mother excused her. Aurora walked as calmly as she could, and the moment she was out of the sight of her parents, she bolted to the river just out the back of the castle. She drank as much water as she could, the sour aftertaste slowly becoming less prominent.

Not long after the last remnants of the taste alfalfa had left her mouth, Luna came flying out, smacking into Aurora and sending both of them into the river. Aurora surfaced, the water feeling cold compared to the warm sun shining down from above.

"Sorry," Luna cried. "I just got so happy I could go, I wasn't watching where I was going."

Aurora shook the water out of her coat. "It's all right. You ready to go?"

"Yes!" Luna fluttered her wings in joy, rising a few feet above the ground.

"Race you!"

Aurora took off, the wind rushing through her mane. She loved this feeling. Suddenly, a periwinkle blur whizzed past her. Luna turned around, stuck out her tongue in a playful gesture, and zoomed off ahead. Aurora unfurled her wings and began to catch up to her sister. Just as she was about to get close enough to tackle Luna, a ferocious roar split the skies. Aurora and Luna both crashed into the ground as their wings locked up in fright.

"What was that?" Luna asked in a terrfied whisper.

"I don't know. Stay close." Aurora pulled Luna to her. Her hoof was shaking uncontrollably. A shadow blocked the view of the sun. It was enough to send the sisters into a bush. Luna stared in wonder while Aurora bit her lip in concern. A huge dragon had just sailed overhead, and there were hundreds behind him.

Luna looked up at Aurora. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea. I don't know why all these dragons are flying up there."

"You don't think…there might be a fight?"

Aurora gave her sister a quick hug. "I don't think so. Let's ask Starswirl. We're almost there."

Luna gave a nod, but she still looked unsettled.

A few more miles down the road was a little hut, nestled inside a tree. A loud banging sound, followed by red, green and pink smoke, emitted from the windows of the hut. Aurora and Luna gave each other an exasperated and amused look before opening the door.

"Starswirl?" Luna called, a large blue puff of smoke floating by her.

"Confound it all!" the blue unicorn cried in dismay, his star covered hat sitting lopsided on his head. He sat up, stroking his curled beard back to its usual position, the bells on his robes jingling, and gave the alicorns a very frustrated glance. A second later he suddenly broke into a broad grin. "My faithful students! Care to give an old unicorn a hoof up?"

Aurora magically lifted Starswirl up onto his feet. "This way's faster."

Starswirl stubbornly threw himself back on the floor. "Faster, but not what I asked. Besides, you didn't take my hat into consideration!"

Luna helped the unicorn up while Aurora placed the hat on his head, just the way he knew he'd like it.

"Much better," Starswirl said with a swish of his robes, the jingling bells ruining the dramatic effect he was going for. "Now, shall we begin? Or do you have questions for me?"

"We-saw-a-dragon-actually-it-was-a-bunch-of-'em-and-we-were-wondering-what-on-Equestria-was-going-on!" Luna said breathlessly.

"Oh, you saw the Great Dragon migration, did you? Yes, the dragons pass over Equestria on the way to their nesting grounds. For the most part, they leave us ponies alone, but…well, sometimes they do get riled up."

There was a sudden whooshing sound that passed over the hut, accompanied by a low pitched chuckle.

As Aurora and Luna dove under the large table in the middle of the hut, Starswirl wore a grim expression. "Teenage dragons again…"

Luna poked her head out from under the table. "What's wrong with them?"

"They tend to be the trouble makers of the dragons. They have a habit of smashing phoenix eggs before they've hatched."

As Aurora tried to rise in protest, she smacked her head on the underside of the table. She wasn't counting on her horn to impale a book positioned on the table. She wriggled herself free and then exclaimed in outrage, "That's horrible!"

"Well, I doubt they'll find any phoenix eggs. I haven't seen a roost in many years."

There was a shrill cry, one that sent shivers up the back of everypony. Starswirl's face fell. He trotted over to the door, and took a quick glance outside. A flash of light exploded outside. Luna and Aurora peeked out and were amazed at what they saw.

Two phoenixes were arcing over a group of three teenage dragons, casting a fiery red light over them all. Several phoenix chicks were hovering behind their parents. The three dragons, still flying at a high speed, crashed into the trees. The phoenix family took off, disappearing into the sunlight.

"Well!" Starswirl sighed. "There's something you don't see every day."

Luna gasped as the three dragons got up and roared in frustration. One of them, a red one, began to grin and chuckle. As the other two stared at their companion in confusion, he opened his claw to reveal what looked like an egg on fire.

Aurora thought of the innocent chick inside. Her family hadn't meant to leave her behind. But she had no way of getting a hold of the phoenix family that had vanished. Mustering her courage, Aurora trotted towards the dragons.

"'Rora!" Luna hissed.

She ignored her. She glared at the dragons. "Hey!"

The red dragon started laughing. "Look at this, guys! A little, pretty, pony! Trying to tell us what to do!"

The other two dragons started laughing, but Aurora stomped her hoof, and shouted, "You put that egg down now!"

The red dragon smirked. "Okay. If you can catch me." He took off into the sky, dangling the egg at the end of his claws. He blanched as Aurora matched him for height. The other two dragons soared skyward, closing in on either side of Aurora. She dodged effortlessly as the dragons met with a crunch. The red dragon turned for the woods, but she met him, still glaring.

"Give me the egg," she threatened.

"Make me!" The dragon pushed past her, and began to fly over the tree tops.

Aurora chased after him, rapidly thinking of a spell that would get him to stop. Instead, she flew on his right side, flying close, so that he would bank left and turn around. He was unaware of this as he made a large loop around the forest. Summoning her magic, Aurora shot a beam of energy at his wing. He stopped midair and examined his injury. In the shock of being hit by magic, he had also dropped the egg.

As the three dragons took off in a huff, Aurora realized in horror she was too far away to catch the egg herself. She could only see Luna's periwinkle mane among the green forest.

"Luna! Catch it!" she screeched. She dove down, hoping that by some miracle she would catch up to the egg before it smashed into the ground. As Aurora approached the ground, Luna dove across the dirt, her front legs outstretched. The egg bounced off her legs, and Luna magically secured the egg before it came to anymore harm.

"'Rory! I got it!" Luna called, bouncing for joy.

"Good catch!" Aurora gave her sister a hug.

Starswirl scoffed. "Typical. Going up against _three_ dragons. Never thinking what's going to happen to them."

Aurora took the egg from Luna, examining it closer. It wasn't really an egg on fire, it had just been the way the orange stripes made it look. "So," she offered it to Starswirl, "what do we do with it?"

"Well," Starswirl said with indignance, though he too admired the egg's design, "I can tell my lesson is going to be completely useless after this. But…I suggest you take it home and see if anything happens."

"To see if it hatches?" Luna asked.

"Well, I'll do some reading tonight on phoenix eggs, if I have any materials. If it doesn't hatch by tomorrow, bring it back and we'll see if we can't help that baby bird out."

"So," Aurora asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement, "this is goodbye then?"

"What do you think I meant? To stay until we have boiled toad soup?"

"You've never had boiled toad soup…"

"Exactly! Now get going, and I'll see you tomorrow, my faithful students."

Aurora carried the egg, barely taking her eyes off it. In the sunlight, the egg had a pattern that resembled flames when the egg was rotated. It was a marvel. Something truly beautiful.

She didn't hear a word her sister said as they trotted home.


	6. Wishes

"Rory…Rory. Rora…" Luna pleaded as she hit her head on the doorway in frustration. "Aurora!"

"Hmm?" Aurora turned away from the phoenix egg to see her sister glaring at her with a pouty face.

"Will you stop looking at the stupid egg? You have to come lower the sun!"

"I just don't want it to hatch while I'm gone…"

"It's not gonna hatch in the fifteen seconds it takes for you to lower the sun."

"Fine. I'm coming."

"Rory…the egg?"

Aurora looked up and realized she had unconsciously picked up the egg from its new velvet pillow. Giving her sister an embarrassed grin, she placed the egg back on the pillow, and headed for the balcony. "Hey, Luna?"

"Yeah?"

"What would you name a phoenix?"

Luna gave an exasperated sigh. She remained silent through the whole process of raising the moon. The second Luna touched down on the balcony, Aurora dashed back to her room. The egg was still whole.

After some time had passed, Aurora sensed Luna sitting next to her, her sister's front legs crossed in grumpy fashion. She gently nudged Luna. "Wanna go stargaze?"

"I guess," Luna replied, huffily walking out of the room.

Aurora followed Luna up to the balcony, where she sat down in a pouty fashion, staring into the stars. When she tried to sit next to Luna, her sister scooted away and kept her gaze fixed heavenward.

"Lulu," Aurora began.

Luna snapped out of her anger temporarily. "What?"

"Lulu, don't be mad at me. You know I hate it when you're mad at me."

"Well, _I'm_ not the one who's been staring at a dumb egg all day!"

"I didn't want to miss a new member to the family…"

"A phoenix isn't a pony!"

"I know that. It's just, that phoenix doesn't have any other family now. We're all the family it has."

There was a long pause as Luna considered this. She stared at the stars, winking in the distance.

"They say if you see a shooting star, you can make a wish," Aurora said, now sitting next to Luna in earnest.

"I guess you would wish for that egg to hatch, huh?" Luna said a bit ruefully.

"Maybe. What would you wish for, Lulu?"

Luna contemplated this. "I'd wish for…a baby sister!"

"A baby sister?" Aurora asked with a laugh. "Why?"

"Well, her name would be Stella, and she'd have power over all the stars. And then I'd have someone to play with at night."

"Oh." Aurora and Luna would go days without seeing each other because they would sometimes sleep right through the night or the day, only meeting to raise the sun or moon. Aurora never considered how lonely the night must be, especially since most animals and ponies were fast asleep.

Luna touched her sister on her shoulder, snapping Aurora out of her reverie. "There's something else, too."

"What's that?"

"I want a little sister…so I can be a good big sister, just like you."

Aurora felt a sudden rush of pride. She pulled her sister in for a hug.

As they were nuzzling each other, something flashed overhead in the sky. The sisters stared in awe as a meteor shower began. Thousands of stars streaked the sky. They lasted for only a few seconds before disappearing into the usual night sky.

Luna's mouth fell open. "I-I don't even know what I'm gonna do with all these wishes!"

Chuckling, Aurora said with a smile, "Well, I know what I'm going to wish for."

"What?"

"That we'll always be together no matter what."

"Yeah! And that we'll always be best friends!"

* * *

His lion paw was aching for a good swing at the pair while his eagle claw thought it would be better to swipe one of the alicorns and fly her to the sea. He had been watching for days now, since he had spotted them landing in the forest, and now, he was so close. He could easily attack them while they sat, giggling and gazing at the stars. He wrapped his snake tail around a tree to calm himself. The tree groaned in protest and almost snapped in half.

"Wait," he told himself. "The best part of getting revenge is seeing their faces. That's going to be priceless, and I'm not missing that for anything. Besides," he gagged himself, "they're talking about friendship. As if that has any power.

"They'll know what power is when I'm through with them."


	7. Birth of a Phoenix

The egg sat stubbornly on the velvet pillow, the new day's sunlight giving the egg a golden glow.

"Hatch," Aurora ordered, gently shaking the egg. "Hatch!" She levitated the egg and carried it to the breakfast table. "Mother, the egg's not hatching!"

"Don't force it, dear," Alcyone said. "It's like your Cutie Mark. It will happen when it's time.

"But I've had the egg for two whole days now! And Starswirl doesn't have any books on phoenixes."

"Sometimes the best solution is the one that sounds the craziest. Take the egg with you today."

"Yeah," Luna chimed in, munching on a daffodil, "you forgot the egg yesterday."

"Luna, don't talk with your mouth full of food."

"Sorry."

Aurora picked at her breakfast, too concerned with her egg to be thinking about anything else. As she finished eating, she trotted to her bedroom, staring at the egg. Why had she suddenly become so attached to it? Why did she feel the need to protect it? Perhaps it was because she _could_ protect it, rather than stand by and just watch. Wasn't that part of her royal duties anyways? To protect all ponies?

She was snapped out of her trance by Luna nudging her. "Hey. Let's go."

Aurora followed her little sister, the egg hovering between them. A strange sight forced her to stop. If she positioned the egg just right, Luna's head looked as though it was the egg. She started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Luna asked, stomping a hoof on the ground.

"Here." Aurora passed the egg to her sister. As the periwinkle aura appeared around the egg, she stepped back. "Do you see it yet?"

"No, what am I supposed to be-" Realization dawned on Luna, and she burst into a fit of giggles as well. "You're an egghead."

"You were one first."

"Nuh-uh!"

It was a playful banter, something Aurora realized she had missed lately. The shack slowly came into view, as Starswirl stood at the door, his hooves crossed amusedly.

"Well, how did the hatching process go?" he asked, glancing at the obviously unhatched egg.

Luna waved the egg in his face. "It's still in there."

Taking the egg from Luna, he placed it in a deep kettle, then set it over the fire.

"What are you doing?" Aurora peered around the doorway.

"Ah-ah-ah," Starswirl scolded. "You haven't been invited it yet."

"Oh come on!" Luna shouted exasperatedly. "We come here almost every day. You know who we are."

"You are right, Luna, but supposed I was working on something I didn't want you two to see-"

"Like what?"

"A birthday present, perhaps. Either way, you must wait until you are invited inside. The only reason you should barge in on someone is because you are in grave peril or it's raining something fierce. That, and some ponies may have a magical barrier that only allows those they invite inside. You never know with magic, my faithful student."

As Luna pouted at the doorway, Aurora took charge. "May we come in?"

"Yes, yes you may."

Aurora quickly trotted in while Luna stomped over to the corner where she usual sat and huffed indignantly. "What are you doing with the egg?"

Starswirl brightened. "Ah. You see, I was reading all the books I have on the wide variety of creature that live in our world. However, there's next to nothing on phoenixes, as you already know. While I was completely flummoxed, an answer occurred to me. Phoenixes are creatures of flame, are they not?"

Before either of them could answer, he continued. "Yes, yes they are. And that was when it occurred to me that an egg could very well last forever if not exposed to the heat that the mother and the father give off while they are nesting. That was when I decided to expose the egg to flame, so I'm grateful the pair of you brought it here today. However, I cannot guarantee how long it will take the egg to hatch. There's a lot more to phoenixes than just their initial rebirth phases."

Just as he was about to go off on another long-winded lecture, a rattle came from the kettle. The three ponies looked at each other in amazement before crowding around the fireplace. The egg was rocking back and forth violently. The kettle began to swing as the egg moved it. Suddenly, the egg bounced off the side of the kettle, flipping it over and dumping the egg into the open flames. As Aurora and Starswirl frantically prepared to seize the egg from the fire, Luna gasped and pointed at the egg.

A small line appeared on the egg, which broadened into a crack. Starswirl backed the sisters away.

"Can't we help it?" Aurora asked.

"No." Starswirl's face became solemn, a sign that this was not to be ignored. "The chick must force its way out itself. If we were to help it, we'd end up killing it."

Luna's hooves flew to her mouth in horror. "We'd kill it?"

"I'm assuming that what's true for normal birds is the same for phoenixes. Chickens, falcons, and all other birds have to force their way out of their shells. Though your intentions to help it are admirable, this is something it must do on its own."

No sooner had he spoken than a tiny golden beak, sharply contrasting with the yellow of the shell appeared. A soft peeping noise, far more musical than anypony had anticipated began to fill the hut.

The egg promptly exploded.

A blinding white light filled the hut.

Aurora raised a wing to shield her eyes from the light; with the other she shielded Luna. Squinting, she spotted a tiny chick, flaring its wings, looking as though it was hovering midair. The light vanished and the chick plopped into the flames. It looked around for a moment before waddling out onto the bricks. Smoldering bits of egg lay all around Starswirl's hut.

Starswirl regarded the chick with an amused eyebrow. "Rather melodramatic, if you ask me."

The tiny phoenix fluttered up into the air, and perched on Starswirl's back.

"Well, now…" Starswirl levitated the phoenix onto the table and summoned a quill and a piece of parchment to write on as he furiously began taking notes on the phoenix.

The pony sisters had learned to just leave Starswirl to his notes, especially since he began muttering things like, "Now isn't that interesting," or, "Would you look at that?" while he scribbled on his paper.

After several minutes of Starswirl studying the phoenix, he motioned for the sisters to come join him. "My initial analysis of the phoenix indicates that this is a female. See the head frill here?" He pointed with his quill, which the phoenix snapped at. "It's more curved, as is the beak."

Luna rolled her eyes. "So it's a girl. What's the big deal about that?"

The phoenix snapped at Luna, flaring its wings, a strange hissing noise, a complete opposite of her soft cries from earlier. Aurora stepped between the phoenix and her sister. While she wasn't much bigger than Luna, the phoenix seemed to take the hint.

Adopting the same tone her mother used when she was in trouble, she addressed the phoenix. "Now look here, young lady. You may be picky, but you do not get to hurt anypony. Is that understood? You will treat Starswirl, Luna, me and my parents with respect." She flared her wings as well, to make her seem larger, a trick her mother used on misbehaving pegasi.

The phoenix hissed once more, then nodded her head in response.

"Very good. Now, what shall we name you?"

Starswirl began at once. "Caldera? Ember? Spark? Blaze?"

The phoenix shook her head at each of these names.

"Maybe something not fire related," Luna suggested. "Elizabeth? Roseanne?"

The phoenix seemed to consider it before shaking her head vigorously.

Aurora put a hoof to her lip in consideration. "What about…Philomena?"

Nodding, the phoenix let out a squawk of joy and began flying around the room.

Or, at least, she tried.

Philomena dropped like a stone, and it was only Luna's timely intervention once again that prevented her from meeting an untimely end.

Cradling Philomena in her hooves, Luna asked, "Are you okay?"

For a moment, it appeared as though the phoenix was glaring at the alicorn. Then, she fluttered onto Luna's head and buried herself in her mane.

"That tickles!" Luna giggled uncontrollably.

She collapsed onto the floor in a fit of laughter which Aurora and Starswirl joined. After tears were streaming down Luna's muzzled, Aurora took command again. "Philomena."

The orange bird poked her head out of the periwinkle mane, a sharp contrast.

"That's enough." She extended her wing to Philomena, who awkwardly waddled her way up to Aurora's back. It took all of her self-control not to burst out laughing as the talons _did_ tickle. Philomena settled on her back, and she turned to Starswirl.

"Well, I guess that's today's lesson." She smiled sheepishly.

For a moment, Starswirl pouted. "But I didn't even get a chance to tell you two about magic today." A broad smile crept across his face. "But we have a new member of the family, and I think she should spend some time with her adopted sisters."

"A phoenix isn't a pony," Luna protested. "We're not even the same species."

"No, but should that matter? I recall a time when a unicorn and a pegasus fell deeply in love with each other. At the time, ponies only married those of their same species. A unicorn would only marry a unicorn and so on. However, these two ponies were so in love they decided to do the unthinkable. They married each other. They were shunned by most other ponies. They were worried that their children wouldn't be born normally. After all, what happened when a pegasus and a unicorn had children? Would it be a pegasus? Or a unicorn? Or what if it was something else entirely? Eventually, they found an orphaned earth pony. He had been alone for weeks, and was barely alive. They took him home and he never returned to the streets. While a mixed family is more common today, in those times, it was considered almost evil to have anypony that wasn't your own species in your family. Of course, we need to be grateful to that unicorn and pegasus. Without them, there never would have been me."

The silence that filled the hut was almost too much to bear.

"That couple were your parents?" Aurora asked, balancing Philomena on her back.

"Yes. And the earth pony was my older brother, Golden Trails."

Raising her eyebrow, Luna asked, "How can you have a brother named Golden Trails when your name is Starswirl?"

"Luna!" Aurora scolded. "You don't go asking ponies why they're named what they're named. It's very rude!"

"No, no," Starswirl said, raising a placating hoof. "It's quite all right. She does bring up a point. Most families have a common theme. Your family, for example, is based on stars, and celestial objects. My brother was named Golden Trails because of the hope he represented for my parents. My mother told me when I was young, that one night, she saw the stars swirl together. It wasn't long after that she discovered she was expecting me. She regarded the swirling stars as a sign for my name, and that's how I got my name."

"Wow."

"But what does that have to do with Philomena being a phoenix and Aurora being a pony?" Luna spluttered.

Starswirl sighed and gave Luna a rather hard look. "You must learn patience, my faithful student. The two connect because for a while, my brother had no one, just as Philomena doesn't have her own kin. But Golden Trails was adopted by two loving ponies who never once cared that he wasn't the same type of pony that they were. Just as you must care for Philomena."

"But-I mean-Philomena can't even talk!"

"Neither could my brother. That's why he was abandoned."

The pony sisters gasped in shock.

Aurora hurriedly took the next question before Luna could word it rudely. "How did you learn to communicate with him?"

"When you allow trust and learn to watch how other ponies communicate, it's very easy. My brother could write, which is how, in the beginning, we talked with each other. But as we grew older, I learned that his body language, and the few noises he was able to make, spoke volumes more than his written words ever did. We grew close enough that there were times we were completely silent, but we told each other so much. Of course, his inability to talk gave me my lovely quirk of talking to myself.

"If you study Philomena, and treat her with respect, she too, will speak to you."

The pony sisters left without a word, both deep in thought. Aurora glanced at her sister, who looked on the verge of tears while at the same time having a fixed expression. She wondered if she would ever be able to read her sister like that. For a long while, it was silent. The only sounds were the chirping birds nestled in the trees, a soft breeze rustling the leaves, and their own hoof beats. It was only when Philomena tried to imitate the birds that Aurora thought it best to break the silence.

"What do you think Mother and Father will say when we come home with a phoenix?" she asked Luna with a smile.

Luna looked at her big sister and smiled back. "They better not care. She's staying with us until the cows come home!"

"Where did you hear that phrase?"

"Papa. He says the earth ponies say it all the time. But what does it mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Philomena squirmed up Aurora's neck, and began roosting in her mane, just as she had done with Luna. Aurora let out a scream of laughter before she tried to stifle it.

Luna collapsed onto the dirt trail and began laughing as Aurora tried to move Philomena to a less ticklish spot. As they approached the castle, Atlas and Alcyone flew down from the observation tower and were bemused at the sight of their daughters roaring in laughter. As the little phoenix tumbled out of Aurora's pink mane, she spotted the two grown alicorns watching the spectacle. Philomena warmed up to them immediately, and found her way up Alcyone's wing and soon nesting in her mane. Atlas doubled over in hysterics as his wife tried to magic the phoenix out of her mane. He soon found out himself glowering as Philomena hopped out of Alcyone's long mane and burrowed into his. Alcyone gave her husband a self-satisfied smirk as he shook Philomena loose and she perched happily on his horn. The sight of their father going cross-eyed was enough to cause Aurora and Luna into renewed laughter.

It was a moment that none of the alicorns would ever forget.

And it was over far too soon.


	8. Enter Discord

"AND FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD, WE SHALL BE KNOWN AS-" Luna's voice shook the dust from the rafters. The Canterlot guard ponies cringed, some covering their ears while others shied away. Luna looked to Castor and Pleione with a hopeful smile.

"Well done, Luna." Castor boomed. "Take your place, Aurora."

Aurora stepped forward to the end of the dais, and glanced around the throne room. She detested public speaking practice, but she did understand the reasoning behind it. If she were to address a crowd of ponies, she needed to be heard from far away. She glanced down the long room to where Pollux and Asterope stood, waiting to hear her speak. Aurora imagined the room full of anxious ponies, waiting to hear her speak. She took one more glance at Luna, who gave her an encouraging grin before she spoke.

"And from this moment forward, we shall be known as-" while her voice did not reach the same volume, her voice was clear, and she heard it distantly echo back to her. She only had a moment to hear what she really sounded like before Pleione came over to her.

"You must speak with more force, my granddaughter," Pleione said, shaking her head. "What if, perhaps, the audience was chatty, and talking over your speech? Thou must speak WITH CONVICTION!" And the rafters shook again, this time dislodging pieces of the ceiling.

Aurora stamped her hoof in frustration. "If we keep talking like that we won't have a castle to live in!"

Castor spoke gently, a sign that he was very upset. "How else are you to command respect from your subjects?"

As a stream of complaints reached her tongue, she bit her lip to keep them from slipping out, another lesson that had been drilled into her brain. She gave an angry growl before taking off, out of the throne room, and onto the castle top. Aurora landed on the top of one of the towers before she slumped over.

She stared over Canterlot, watching ponies trade their wares. She caught strains of music and laughter as the ponies continued their business. On the outer rim of Canterlot she spotted her mother, busily directing several pegasi to position the clouds. Her father was among the earth ponies and unicorns, laughing with them. Her parents were adored across Equestria, something she knew her grandparents were resentful of. Yet she understood why. Her grandparents were intimidating, and they intended to keep it that way. The castle rumbling beneath her hooves put her on edge, and she watched as ponies kept away from the castle, glancing at it fearfully. Her mother and father had a more hooves-on approach to ruling. They were hardly home during day, busy helping ponies across Equestria.

Just as Aurora was wondering how she would rule when the time came, she spotted something odd among the clouds. Had she been out in the sun too long? She blinked several times. Was that cloud…pink? Before she could go investigate a familiar voice called to her.

"Lady Aurora?"

She glanced over to Firespark, who awkwardly rubbed his head with his hoof.

"Yes?" she asked, quickly checking to see if that pink cloud was still there.

"Your grandparents asked that you return for your lessons. And they said it was imperative you return immediately."

"Alright." She glumly took to the skies and trotted back into the throne room for magic lessons. Firespark took his position at the door, a worried look etched on his face.

Luna spotted her sister and tried to give a hug, but Aurora wasn't in the mood to feel better.

As Pollux was about to begin his lessons, a door in the ceiling slid open, a shaft of sunlight poured into the throne room. A grey pegasus flew down, panting heavily.

"Your Majesties," he said, pulling out a scroll from his pack, "I have an important letter for you. From Manehattan."

"Manehattan?" Pollux repeated. He levitated the note to him and began reading. "Doors and windows exchanging places?"

The throne room doors burst open as Alcyone and Atlas flew in.

"Mother, Father," Alcyone panted. "What do you know of pink, sugary clouds?"

"What?"

Atlas held up a huge apple. "Look at this! Whole orchards have these swollen apples all over their trees. They're much heavier than they look, so much so, that trees are bending over because of their weight."

"What is going on?" Castor said with a declarative thump of his hoof. "What manner of trickery is this?"

"It's called a joke."

Aurora turned around to face the most disturbing creature she had ever seen. He had mismatched horns on his pony head, that did not connect with his eagle claw, lion paw, dragon leg, goat leg, snake tail, bat-wing, bird-wing body. He glared at each of the ponies, but mostly at the Kings and Queens. "What? You don't joke anymore?"

Atlas pushed Aurora behind him and flared out his wings. "What are you?"

The creature smirked. "It's not obvious?"

Shaking uncontrollably, Aurora dashed to her mother, who instantly tucked her behind her other wing, since Luna had her first. She caught sight of her grandparents, looking horrified, upset, and-

In Pleione's eyes, Aurora saw recognition. She _knew_ who and what this creature was. She stepped forward, looking ashamed.

"Oh, Unity." Pleione bowed her head in sorrow.

The creature made a disgusted face at being called this.

"You were meant to represent harmony for all beings. We failed you."

"Failed me?! Ha! You're kidding, right? You didn't fail me, you _left me to die in a frozen wasteland!_"

"We didn't know-"

"You're right, you didn't know! From the moment I was…'born,' I have been a contradiction. I have too many different natures inside me to even be close to harmony! Do you have any idea what it's like to have multiple instincts telling you what to do? To have the dragon part of you say, 'Let's go get gems!' while the snake part is hissing at you to go find some eggs? I'm not Unity! I never have been! I am chaos, I am disharmony! I am Discord!"

A horrible smile paired with a cruel chuckle punctuated his next words. "So…my little ponies, I've come for my revenge. I hope that's not a concept too far above your little pony heads."

Alcyone glared at the monster and joined her husband flaring her wings. "You'll not lay a hoof on our family!" Aurora smiled. No pony crossed her parents when they were like this. This Discord monster was doomed.

Discord smiled knowingly. "You're right, I won't lay a hoof on your family. Because I'm standing on it, you see. However-" he swatted Atlas and Alcyone away like they were flies-"You never said anything about talons or claws."

Several of the Canterlot guard leapt to attention, and dove at Discord. Wrapping his tail around one of the pegasi guards, he flung the pony into the oncoming soldiers and sent them crashing into the wall.

Firespark landed in front of Aurora and Luna, wings spread. While it didn't have the same effect as her parents, Aurora still felt protected. "Go!" he ordered. "Go somewhere safe!"

He was rammed into a wall as Discord held him by the throat. Atlas and Alcyone tackled him to the ground. He snaked his way out of the two alicorns' grip, and posed himself on the floor like a lion ready to pounce.

Behind her, Aurora heard the sound of the floor thumping open to the secret chamber where Friendship's Fire resided. She whipped her head around to see Luna beckoning her to join their grandparents. But she only shook her head, turning back to her parents. She wouldn't leave them behind.

"You," Discord said, extending his eagle claw to Atlas and Alcyone, "need to cool your heads!" As he touched them, ice began to form across their tails. It spread quickly, leaving Atlas and Alcyone to panic.

Aurora realized too late that her parents weren't being encased in ice, they were turning _into_ ice. She galloped to her parents, frantically trying to think of which counterspell to use. She skidded to a halt as she stared at her parents, now literally frozen in terror. A lump rose in her throat.

Discord grinned wickedly. "Aww, did you care about them? I'll fix this in a snap!" He snapped his eagle claws together, something Aurora didn't think was possible for talons.

And then her world stopped.

The moment Discord had snapped, the frozen figures of her parents shattered into a thousand pieces. She did not hear the pieces as they clattered to the floor, nor did she feel the ice touch her fur. Everything was drowned out by Discord, who was howling with laughter in midair.

"No!" Asterope and Pleione cried in unison.

"Mommy?! Daddy?!" Luna gasped. Tears welled in her eyes before she scrunched up her face with determination. She took off at full speed, her horn glowing lavender. She sprung into the air, and pounced Discord out of his laughter. "You monster! Bring them back!"

Discord tossed the little alicorn aside with a disgusted look on his face. Luna cried out in pain as she slid across the floor, bringing Aurora back to the present. She flew over Discord, who completely ignored her. Aurora cradled her sister. "Lulu?"

Luna's blue eyes opened, tears streaming from them. She tried to speak, but Discord cut her off.

"I swore revenge the moment I awoke from that frozen dump. And now," Discord chuckled, "I'm going to destroy everything you have!"

Castor and Pollux rose from the hidden chamber, horns glowing. "You may have taken my son," Castor said, a tear slipping from his eye, "but you will NOT HAVE MY KINGDOM!" And with that, all four elder alicorns blasted Discord back with powerful magic. He recoiled, and then wrapped himself around one of the six pillars that supported the throne room. Enraged, the alicorns shot their magic at the pillar, smashing it into smithereens. There was a rumble as the ceiling struggled to main its balance. Discord baited the alicorns again, but they understood his plan. In a blinding flash of light, they disappeared, as did the opening to the hidden chamber.

Aurora blanched. Her grandparents had left her and Luna all alone. She heard hoof beats coming from the corridors and the majority of the Canterlot guard suddenly filled the throne room. An army of ponies stood between her and her sister.

A young unicorn bowed before the pony sisters, then spoke in a hushed voice. "You two need to escape. We'll buy you some time."

Aurora and Luna nodded. She would have to be careful, though. She watched as the unicorns' magic lit up the room with all the colors of the rainbow. The pegasus guards flew into the air, acting as a screen. Now was their chance.

Discord examined the area where the elder alicorns had vanished, then sighed. "Fine. I can deal with that." He rounded on the room full of ponies, and his evil smile returned quickly. "Ohh-ho, yes… I can deal with this."

There were multiple flashes of light, and cries of shock and horror. "My horn!" somepony cried. The room began to darken as the unicorns' horns vanished into nothingness.

"Charge!" A pegasus pony cried. As the pegasi took formation, the flashes of light began to happen again, as the pegasus ponies lost their wings and crashed into the floor.

Discord strode through this chaos as if it was nothing was even occurring. He approached Aurora and Luna, a dark aura glowing around his eagle claw. He chuckled darkly. "Last the best of all the game," he said in a sing-song voice. Aurora mustered her courage and stood against Discord. Still possessing her wings and horn, she spread them and prepared to blast Discord back. But the dark aura that surrounded his claw began to gnaw at her bravado.

A flash of armor and a deafening clang knocked Discord out. It was Firespark, now wingless, but still duty bound. He glanced at the pony sisters as Discord began to stir. "Go get help," Firespark pleaded.

It was one of the few times Luna and Aurora thought in perfect synchronization. Without another thought, the pair took off into the skies, returning to the forest. As Canterlot shrank into the distance behind them, they heard Discord shout, "Run all you want, ponies! I will find you! This is _my_ kingdom now. And you're going see a whole lot more chaos!" His laugh seemed to echo in her head, an almost otherworldly feel.

Taking one last glance behind her, Aurora watched as the throne room collapsed, sending a huge plume of dust and debris into the air. She knew her grandparents would be safe, but what about them? Would Starswirl be able to protect them from this new monstrosity that had entered Equestria? As she glided over the trees of their forest home, she heard Discord's cackle, and with it, a pit in her stomach. That cackle had traveled to the farthest reaches of Equestria, she somehow knew. Maybe it was the odd tingle that had accompanied it, but Aurora knew now that life in Equestria would never be the same again.

* * *

You have no idea how fun it was to make good use of the Royal Canterlot voice. Also... (to the tune of Twilightlicious) Leave an R-to the-E-V-I-E-W and I will love you. Be Reviewlicious. ;)


	9. Aftermath

"Starswirl!" Luna screeched. She pounded furiously on the door of his hut. "Starswirl, _please_ open up!"

Aurora put a consoling hoof on Luna's shoulder, trying to appear that everything was under control.

The blue unicorn opened the door, looking thoroughly surprised. "What on-" His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "Quick, get inside."

Aurora entered the hut, glancing at everything familiar. The old scrolls piled up by the window, the kettle boiling some concoction. The desk with the hole her horn had caused when the dragons came. An official Royal Canterlot map, spread across-

"Oh, dear." Starswirl glanced around his home, levitated a hefty book from under the scrolls, which landed with a massive thud that startled the alicorn sisters. He began furiously flipping the pages, mumbling, "There's got to be a counterspell. There has to be!"

"What's wrong?" Luna asked, her voice shaking.

The old unicorn took one last glance at his book before staring at the sisters. "I'm sorry, you've both been cursed."

"What?!" they cried in unison.

"It's nothing too serious. You won't die. But…if anypony says your names, whoever cast this thing will be able to find you."

"Discord," Aurora breathed.

Starswirl stopped turning to his kettle. "What did you say?"

"Discord," Luna repeated, her voice cracking at the end. "He-"

Never before had Luna or Aurora seen the anger and passion that consumed Starswirl in that moment. He flew into his private quarters, the sounds of him rummaging through books and the countless knick-knacks he had collected over the years very much audible through the tattered green curtain that separated the two rooms. He returned with an ancient, dust covered, book, solemnly placing it on the table. He opened the book, and beckoned the two sisters closer.

Aurora gasped and backed away from the book as she saw what the pages contained. There, perfectly sketched, was Discord. She swore she saw his one sketched eye wink at her.

"Your grandparents warned me about him when they took me on as Royal Wizard," Starswirl sighed. "They called him a Draconequus. He's in Equestria now?" He gazed out the window, a faraway look in his eye that Aurora had never seen before.

"Yes. And he's taken over Canterlot!" Luna cried. "And he-"

Starswirl abruptly turned and pulled the two of them in close, his jingling bells ruining the serious moment. "Listen to me, my faithful students. You need to hide. Make sure nopony says your names, even among the two of you. Discord will find you. There's only one thing that can stop him. You have to find the Elements."

Glancing at her sister, Aurora saw the same worry that was mirrored on her own face. Before she could clarify what exactly these "Elements" were, Starswirl pushed them out of the hut.

"You have ten minutes," he said firmly. "I'll say your names and hopefully give you girls time to hide somewhere. No matter what, you must keep running. Do not stop until you are sure you are safe. Now go. Hurry!"

Aurora caught the pained look that Starswirl gave them. Despite his urgings, Luna tearfully gave Starswirl a hug. His expression softened as he hugged the younger alicorn.

_You must protect her._ Startled, Aurora whipped her head around, trotting in an anxious circle, looking for the source of the voice. She saw the unicorn give her a long, meaningful look. He was still hugging Luna, but he was looking squarely at Aurora. _She needs you. Be strong._ She gave Starswirl a firm nod. He nodded in return and released her sister.

The pair took off, flying towards home. The road was familiar, as were all the trees and noises. Yet something had changed. Aurora felt certain that just behind that next tree, Discord would appear and snatch Luna away from her. The forest no longer felt safe. As the castle rose into view, a lump formed in her throat. Her mother and father were not there, awaiting their arrival. They would never be there to welcome them home. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the silhouette of a pony with its wings spread. For a moment, a rush of hope, something she never thought she would feel ever again, rose in her chest. The figure dove down to the sisters.

It was just Skyheart, one of the guards. Aurora felt her heart sink. She was stupid for thinking that there had been some chance that her parents had survived. Skyheart seemed to notice her disappointment because he asked, "What's wrong?"

Luna gave him an angry look, and opened her mouth to speak. She stopped herself, and spoke softly. "We…I…there's-"

While she admired her sister's bravery, time was of the essence, and if Luna tried to explain, Starswirl's plan would be for nothing. While she hadn't considered the safety of her servants, she now felt it would be unfair and selfish of her to simply leave them to Discord. "You need to tell everyone to leave the castle. Now. Don't ask why! Just get everypony together and get somewhere safe! Hurry!"

Skyheart wore an expression of confusion and worry. Nevertheless, he saluted to the sisters and flew off.

"Should we grab anything?" Luna asked

"No. We need to get going. We haven't got much longer, and Starswirl-" she remembered what had happened in the throne room in Canterlot. She envisioned Starswirl, battling Discord when the unicorn's horn disappeared. Before her imagination could envision what would happen next, she called out, "Philomena!"

The baby phoenix flew out an open window and down to Aurora. She cocked her head to the side.

"Go to Starswirl and help him! You have to stay with him!"

Just as Luna was about to protest, the tiny phoenix took off down the trail to their teacher, tiny flames appearing under her wings.

Using her wing, Aurora guided Luna to a part of the forest neither of them had explored before. Rather than fight their way through the tightly knitted trees, the sisters took off into the sky and flew over the forest below.


	10. Fruit Tart

Please see part one for my season 3 alert.

* * *

They had been flying for a long while when the spotted the edge of the forest. A lush, light green field was a welcome sight from all the darker greens that they had been soaring over. Luna landed lightly and began devouring the grass. Aurora allowed herself a few bites before gazing over the long field. A dirt path was just behind them, the brown dirt happily contrasting with the beckoning green grass. A soft, warm breeze stirred her mane. It was as if it was an ordinary summer day, with no crazed demon pursuing them.

"Hey, R—Sister, come look at this." Luna pointed to something in the grass.

Aurora stared at the object glimmering in the grass. It was almost impossible to see with the green surrounding it. It was thin and slender, like a piece off a chandelier or even somepony's jewelry. A pink aura enclosed the small crystal as she levitated it for a better look. In her mind, she knew there was something familiar about this. Luna trotted over, levitating her own crystal. She smiled broadly, proud to match her older sister. "It looks like somepony broke a glass here or something." Behind Luna, Aurora watched as the grass across the road began to turn from green to blue, the sunlight reflecting harshly off it. Was it a trick of the light, or had she seen Discord's face in the glass, chuckling darkly. His laughter echoed in her skull.

Dropping her piece of glass as her heart dropped in her chest, Aurora seized Luna and set her on her back, galloping furiously away from that place.

"What are you doing?!" Luna shrieked. "It's just glass!"

The white alicorn gave her sister a worried glance before going faster. "You don't understand. It's Discord! He's turning the grass into glass!"

"What's wrong with that?!"

"Glass doesn't have any roots."

As if those words were a cue, the wind picked up and began to send the newly formed glass pieces towards the sisters. The road behind them darkened as the dust and glass began to form a deadly cloud. There was no mistaking it this time: Discord's cruel laughter echoed throughout the storm. Aurora gritted her teeth and pushed herself forward as Luna cried out in shock and clung tightly to her back. She could hear pieces landing just behind her, whizzing as they began to gain on her. She felt one nick her ear, another just above her eyes. She bent her head down, focusing on the path that was now littered with thousands of tiny glass shards.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a barn, newly constructed, judging by the dark brown wood. Running out of breath, and the glass beginning to catch up to them, Aurora took off with one last burst of speed, kicking the door open, sliding in, tripping over her hooves as the wooden floor of the barn caught her off guard. She leapt up, and slammed the door shut, hearing the sound of the tiny pieces of glass sink into the wood.

"What in the hay is goin' on in here?" an older earth pony stepped out of the shadows of the barn. He was a soft brown pony, his mane a gentle yellow, streaked with grey. On his flank was a trio of trees, each with a different kind of fruit. A long piece of hay stuck out of his mouth. He squinted at the sisters, a frown of disapproval growing on his face. "What are you two doin' in my barn?" His voice was rough, and as far away as one could get from a Canterlot accent.

Luna shook herself off, tiny flecks of glass skittering on the floor. "We had to come in here. We would have knocked but there was no time!"

"What are you talkin' about? There's always time for a good knock on the door." He angrily marched towards the door. "Honestly, some ponies."

"Don't open it!" Aurora cried as he placed a hoof on the door.

"Why not?"

"There's glass outside!"

The old pony raised a skeptical eyebrow before he opened the barn door a crack. "Holy moley!" he yelped as he slammed the door shut. A few wayward shards of glass had slipped through the opening, tinkling musically as they flew in. "What in tarnation is goin' on out there?!"

Aurora lowered her head in shame. "There's this monster called Discord. He has amazing magical powers. And I don't mean that in a good way. I just thought he could affect ponies, but I guess he can change the world around him, too."

Luna suddenly burst into tears. "He turned our parents into ice and then he…he…" her sentence was drowned by a heavy sob.

The earth pony extended his hoof to Aurora. "Name's Fruit Tart. What's yours?"

The full realization of everything that had happened hit her in that moment. She hadn't had time to even think of her parent's death. She had been too busy watching out for Luna for that. Now though, with Luna outright bawling, and Fruit Tart asking who she was, tears swarmed her eyes and she fell to the floor, unable to stand anymore.

"Hey, now," Fruit Tart said gently, nuzzling Aurora. "There's no need to be upset."

"Yes, there is! My parents are dead and it's all Discord's fault!"

The earth pony gave a hard sigh. "Cryin' won't bring them back. But there's no shame in cryin' over the ones you love. Cry all you need to, girls."

Luna collapsed into Aurora, and the tears ran harder and faster. After several minutes, there was nothing but sniffling, heaving chests, and emotional drain. Aurora wanted to just fall asleep and wake-up from this nightmare.

Fruit Tart had silently excused himself and tended to various chores around the barn, all while peeking over occasionally at the sisters. He now came over, looking a bit apprehensive. "Feelin' better?"

"A little." Luna sniffed. "But I still miss them."

"I wouldn't assume just one little cry gets everythin' all fixed up. You're probably gonna have days where you'll miss 'em something terrible. And that's okay. And it's okay to cry. Don't you let anyone tell you otherwise, kid."

The three ponies jumped as something heavy slammed into the side of the barn. A light green sword suddenly pierced through the wooden panels.

"Now what?" Fruit Tart glowered at the sword. "Anypony wanna tell me why there's a sword sticking in my barn?"

Knowing the answer, Aurora rolled her eyes. "Discord."

"What?"

"Blades of grass?" The sheer absurdity was enough to make her wonder why Discord hadn't done something like this in the first place.

Another blade sliced through the wood, this time, an axe.

"Come on, you two! Into the cellar!" Then, to himself he muttered, "And they thought I was crazy for having a cellar _inside_ the barn…" He pulled on the handles, opening into darkness. Just as he was going for his lantern, the "blades" of grass began pummeling the side of the barn, many going through the wood, sticking out menacingly. As he balked, Aurora lit up her horn, smiling. Luna, too, set her horn alight, causing Fruit Tart to shake his head in amusement. He still grabbed the lantern, but he allowed the sisters to light the way down for him. The trio hurried down as tiny shards of glass began to pour in from the openings the weapons had created. The door slammed shut behind them, the sound of the weapons and glass striking the barn muffled into a constant drumming. It sounded like it was raining.

Having never been in a cellar, Luna was fascinated with the layout and the contents. While it was nothing more than shelves piled high with assorted vegetables, to her, it was as if they had entered a whole new world. Her childlike glee comforted Aurora. It was something so normal in her now chaotic world, that she almost forgot Discord was trying to kill her. Fruit Tart offered them some homemade jam that both sisters agreed was delicious. After the newness of the place wore off, they all sat in the cellar, hearing the sound of swords and other weapons clattering on top of the sturdy door. The earth pony lit the lantern, filling the room with a warm light.

"Now what?" Luna asked, leaning on her sister.

Fruit Tart gave a sigh. "I'll be honest, I don't know what to do now. But I do know, going out there would be a really bad idea. We'll just have to ride this one out."

"Why don't you get some sleep, sister?" Aurora gave Luna an encouraging smile.

"Aren't you tired?" Luna asked, already half-asleep.

"I'll be fine. You get some sleep."

"Don't talk about anything important without me."

For a long while, Luna's soft breathing was the only thing beside the clanking metal from above.

"I'm sorry about your barn," Aurora said after hearing a wooden beam crash down from up above.

"Nothin' to be sorry 'bout, Your Highness." Fruit Tart looked her square in the eyes.

Her heart thundering, she half expected Discord to appear in the cellar, turn Fruit Tart into his namesake, and take her and her sister back to Canterlot. There was nothing. "Please don't say my name," Aurora sighed, her heart slowing slightly. "Or my sister's."

"And why can't I do that? After all, you're part of the royal family. Everypony knows who you are."

"My sister and I, we have a curse upon us that will summon Discord if anypony says our names."

"Seems like he already knows where you are, given this hullabaloo with the grass. And how'd you know y'all got some magic on you?"

"My mentor, Starswirl-"

"That crazy ol' unicorn livin' in the tree in the woods? Ha!"

Aurora raised her eyebrow, wincing as her cut stung from the movement. "So you've met him then?"

"Met him?" Fruit Tart laughed. "Hah! He's helped me get this little farm started. Although with this Discord nonsense, I'm gonna hafta start all over again."

"I am sorry about that."

"Like I said, nothin' to be sorry over. This happens sometimes. You build a farm, storm rolls along, wipes out half the crops. Do ya give up just 'cause you lost everything. Nope! You shake off the dirt, see what you got left, and make do with the best you've got."

The earth pony had risen to his feet, his eyes glimmering in the lantern glow. Aurora felt inadequate now, as he had already prepared to fix what had been destroyed.

Luna rustled slightly, causing Fruit Tart to blush in embarrassment. He spoke softly. "How much does she know?" He gestured to the sleeping alicorn.

The word choked itself out of her throat. "Nothing." She couldn't look at Fruit Tart anymore. His stern glance was enough to remind Aurora of her father, and that horrible ache started to creep back into her heart. She didn't want reminders.

"Nothing?" Despite his low volume, the word struck her to the core, causing a flash of guilt and familiarity. "You haven't told her what's going to happen next? What your lives are going to become? With your parents gone, you two are now princesses." He himself realized this, and he reflexively bowed.

"Oh, stop it!" Aurora snapped at him. "I don't tell her because I don't know myself. And I don't want her to worry. I have to protect her."

"So you're protecting her by lying to her?"

His words stung more than her cuts. She bit her lip, trying not to cry again. She had already lost her composure once, she wouldn't do it again.

"Princess," Fruit Tart said gently, her new title still not quite registering in her mind, "would you mind some advice from an old work-horse like myself?"

"Fine."

"Be honest with your sister. I understand you want to protect her, and that's a wonderful thing. But she's not a filly anymore. She deserves the truth. You don't have to tell her everything. Just tell her enough. And always tell the truth. One day, she's gonna rule alongside you, and you can't have a stable kingdom with dishonesty. Besides, what would you rather face? Tears from the truth? Or tears from the lies?"

Aurora glanced at Luna, still fast asleep. It was her duty to protect her sister, that, she had always known, ever since her sister had been born. Now, though she somewhat hated to admit it, Fruit Tart was right. Luna wasn't a filly anymore. But Aurora wasn't ready for Luna to grow up just yet. She wanted her sister to keep that innocence, that small thing that had been robbed from her. As long as Luna had her big sister, she would be kept safe. Yet Aurora had nopony. She was on her own.

Startled out of her ponderings by a pair of brown hooves wrapped around her neck, it took a moment for her to return the favor in kind. "You've got a long ways to go, but you can do it. You've got your father's stubbornness, and your mother's heart. Never forget that."

Tears streaming down her muzzle, she managed, "Thank you."

"So how do we stop Discord?"

Aurora related how Starswirl had sent them to find the Elements. As Fruit Tart asked if she was referring to water, earth, wind or fire, she shook her head. Despite the fact she had no idea what Starswirl was talking about, she knew these Elements were different somehow.

"So he sent you to find some 'Elements' that you don't even know about in the hopes you'll find 'em?" Fruit Tart clarified.

"I guess so." Aurora shrugged, causing Luna to stir into wakefulness.

"Izeverthinalrigh?" the little alicorn mumbled.

"Yes. Fruit Tart and I were discussing how best to find the Elements."

Yawning and stretching, Luna asked, "Is that all you talked about?"

"Y-" the earth pony shot Aurora a meaningful glance. "No. We talked a little bit about how Discord cursed us, and how you're not a little filly anymore."

Luna promptly pouted. "I said don't talk about anything important without me!"

"I know, I'm sorry. But I didn't want to wake you up. You may not be a little filly anymore, but you are still young, and you do need your sleep."

For a moment, Aurora wondered if being honest with her sister would even work. She'd always stepped into the parental role when her mother and father weren't there. Now…

The younger alicorn grimaced slightly, before a small smile broke through. "I guess you're right. Next time if something happens, will you tell me, though?"

"Always." She hugged her little sister, while Fruit Tart gave a nod of approval.

The earth pony headed up the stairs, "It's been quiet for a while now. I'm gonna go check and see if the wind has stopped."

The sisters followed him, keeping close together. As the doors refused to open, Fruit Tart turned around and gave a swift kick to the doors. They flew open, wooden boards clattering everywhere. The earth pony stepped into his barn, head low. Aurora hurried up to comfort him when she stared in shock.

The barn had been decimated. There were a few boards that still remained in place, but they were few and far between. Wood was strewn everywhere; the roof was completely gone; the only thing that had withstood the wind and various weaponry that Discord had thrown at it was the frame.

Aurora shuffled a few pieces of the wood. While she normally liked the smell of wood, the scent was mixed with dirt and metal. She heard something drip on the wooden floor. She stared skyward, sure that there had been no storm scheduled for today. The blue sky seemed clearer than before, except Aurora couldn't shake the ominous feeling the beckoning sky offered. She caught sight of Fruit Tart, still standing at the entrance to the cellar. That was when she saw the tear tracks down his face, and the tiny water stains his tears were causing. "It's all gone," she heard him say.

Luna went over to one of the swords that still stuck in the frame. She tried pulling it out, but was unsuccessful. With a toss of her mane, she focused her magic on the sword. The periwinkle aura illuminated the hole where the blade rested. Aurora trotted over to her sister, the floorboards creaking as she crossed.

As the sword popped out from its resting hole, the beam in which it was resting gave a long, low groan. The board swayed side to side, front to back, before it began to angle downwards towards the pony sisters.

The noise had brought Fruit Tart back to reality, and he raised his hoof in vain, warning, "Look out!"

Aurora tried to hold the beam up, but it was too heavy, and she didn't have enough time. Instead, she cradled her sister and braced for the impact. She thought of all the injuries she would sustain: a broken wing, a broken back, a broken horn.

She didn't have time to go further because the beam never came. She glanced around, looking for the beam.

With a grunt of effort, a white pegasus with a rainbow mane hefted the beam the opposite direction, sending up a plume of sawdust and splinters. On his flank, there was a brilliant, crimson thunderbolt. He landed next to Fruit Tart.

"Geez, Tarty," he said, comfortably resting his front hoof on the earth pony's back, "if you wanted to wreck this thing, you should have called me sooner."

"Spectrum," Fruit Tart growled, glaring at his unwelcome guest.

"I mean, you know how much I love a good barn-raising as much as the next pony-"

"Spectrum…"

"But a barn _deconstruction_ is even better!"

"Spectrum!"

"What? Sheesh, I'm just tryin' to help you out here."

"I don't need yer help in wreckin' my barn! In case you haven't noticed, it's already been done!"

Spectrum took to the air. "You need my help with that beam. It would smashed those ponies in ten. Seconds. Flat." The pegasus suddenly noticed who exactly was looking at him with skeptical glances. He dropped into a bow instantly. "Your Highnesses! Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner-"

"Don't say our names!" Aurora and Luna chorused.

The pegasus, still bowing, gave them a confused look. "Why not?"

"If you open your mouth and blab to the world, the thing that caused this storm is gonna show up and make a bigger mess!" Fruit Tart stomped his hoof for emphasis, some glass tinkling as it was crushed. His face fell as the realization hit him that he no longer had a barn to call his own. "I never got to paint it…"

Aurora gently put her hooves on his back. "You shake off the dirt, see what you have left, and make do with what you have, right?"

Fruit Tart smiled ruefully. "Never should have told you that."

Luna snuggled under her sister's wing. "Now what do we do?"

The white alicorn shook her head. "I don't know."

"Well, you can't stay here," Spectrum said, now hovering a few feet above the floor. "I'm just sayin', this place isn't the best to be. I mean, what if another freak storm happens?"

"He got a point," the earth pony said. "You gotta get somewhere safe."

"Why don't you come with me? I mean, if this Discord guy's looking for you down here, I doubt he'd find you up in the clouds somewhere."

Aurora gave the pegasus a hard glare. "Can we trust you?"

"I think we can, sister," Luna replied. "He did save our lives."

"Yes!" Spectrum cheered. "Hope you two know how to fly fast!"

Just as the sisters were getting ready to take flight, Fruit Tart pulled them aside.

"Now, I know you—"he gestured to Aurora—"already heard this, but you—"he nodded to Luna—"need to hear this. Remember: be honest with each other. Do that, and you'll be able to pull through this mess."

They both nodded. "Thank you," Aurora said.

"Are you two coming or what?!" Spectrum shouted, his front hooves crossed impatiently.

The sisters waved good-bye to the earth pony and followed Spectrum up into the clouds. Glancing back, Aurora watched as the frame of the barn shrank into the distance faster than she expected. She could only hope that Fruit Tart would be okay.


End file.
